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Waynesboro teachers, district back to negotiating table for new contract

By BRIAN HALL

Updated:
01/29/2013 02:22:53 PM EST

WAYNESBORO -- Waynesboro Area School District and its teachers union are back to contract negotiations, attempting to avoid the long impasse both sides faced in the last round of negotiations.

The Waynesboro Area Education Association and the school board met for four hours Monday night.

"Discussions focused around a handful of issues, including salary and benefits," WAEA negotiating team member Angie Cales wrote in an email. "The majority of the discussion included clarifying both sides' proposals."

Both sides anticipate meeting again Feb. 11.

The school board and the union came to terms on a three-year contract in June -- two of those years being retroactive to the previous contract.
WASD teachers worked over 720 days after the previous contract expired.

Teachers took a pay freeze for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years and accepted a 2.25 percent increase -- inclusive of step -- for the 2012-13 school year.

Teachers do not pay for health care premiums in the district, but do pay a deductible. All teachers moved to a high deductible health plan -- $1,200 for singles, $2,400 for families -- in the last agreement.

The current contract will expire June 30.

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Brian Hall can be reached at 262-4811 and bkhall@publicopinionnews.com, or follow him on Twitter @bkhallpo.